General Discussion > Accountability and Motivation
Writing out the nonsense in my head.
peterpiper:
--- Quote from: heids on September 19, 2017, 04:48:52 pm ---From yoga study (on the principles of saucha and santosha - cleanliness and peace), I've developed the habit of smiling and mentally wishing "May you have peace, love and wellbeing" (or a relevant variation) to people I pass and at the end of interactions. Just like, sending them the real desire for their good.
It doesn't do anything, but it makes me feel happier and more connected and more expansive and just good. You can't get angry at someone you've just wished love to, and when small annoying things happen in public, I just feel peace with it rather than irritation.
I enjoy interacting with strangers more since I started this, too.
--- End quote ---
I'm loving this. Keep it up Heids! :)
heids:
--- Quote from: peterpiper on September 19, 2017, 05:10:12 pm ---I'm loving this. Keep it up Heids! :)
--- End quote ---
So do I! Hahaha.
Especially over the last few weeks, I've actually been feeling yoga healing me. Still have bad days, still very tired a lot of the time, but I'm starting to have a few okay and even good days to balance it out. After eighteen months of basically non-stop bad days, I feel like I'm genuinely recovering from this depression.
Yoga is hardly a simple cure (lol, today I wanted to give up during every single pose and had a hard time not crying all through), and I know I'm going to have hard times and probably further episodes in future, but the physical and mental tools it's given me have been what I've been looking for. I'll definitely go into some of those tools during this journally thing!
elysepopplewell:
--- Quote from: heids on September 18, 2017, 09:08:44 pm ---Since I stretch my hip flexors intensely, the next day my hips are sore and tight, and I have to spend a few minutes during practice gently easing myself into sitting cross-legged, then half-lotus, then lotus (basically, just sitting there).
My brain really revolts against this few minutes of doing seemingly nothing. It tries to come up with some way of multitasking to avoid wasting those minutes: I could exercise my arms, or post on AN, or read, or nut out some complex argument in my head. Surely this isn't the most efficient way to exercise!
Instead, I just sit there with the thoughts.
What am I in such a rush to do? Why the constant need to achieve and do and think more, and faster? What makes time spent mindfully and calmly and consciously a waste of time?
Really makes me question my priorities and behaviours. There's a lot of useless busy time I could spend doing nothing, but being mindfully there.
--- End quote ---
This really resonates with me too. Even when I'm sitting in the bath on the odd occasion I'm like "I should have my uni readings here" or when I'm on the train I'm thinking "I should be working on my assignments" and then I remember - what's the rush? What's the great urgency to pump a million little things into every day? The need to succeed is crippling of calm solitude, I find.
heids:
I've always been told to "breathe deeply" for anxiety, but couldn't manage it. Only through yoga have I figured out how breathing works for me. I'm trying to use it more and more of the time (building in this awareness is quite hard).
I shut my mouth and breathe through my nose, and expand my chest (put your hands on the sides of your ribcage and breathe to push them out), imagining I'm opening up the area round my heart and completely filling out my chest and upper abdomen. Then I completely empty and release.
I time this rhythmically with normal activities. Because it's matched rhythmically with movement, I can breathe deeply and evenly without having to fully focus on breathing as it flows naturally.
--> when walking anywhere, I take four steps to an inhalation and four to an exhalation (or 3 or 6 if I'm walking slowly or quickly)
--> doing any repetitive task at work, I time the movements with breaths (e.g. inhale: stick point into tag and then into seam of clothing, exhale: double click gun, remove point and tear off tag; repeat ad infinitum), making me faster, more focused, and calmer
--> I try to bend and move in time with breath (if I lower myself down or release, I exhale, and if I lift myself up or expand, I inhale)
The more I control my breath like this, the more things seem to flow and I remain calm and mindful. Controlling it seems to help control much harder things to manage - emotions, heartrate, etc. :D
Coffee:
--- Quote from: heids on September 20, 2017, 10:17:53 am ---I've always been told to "breathe deeply" for anxiety, but couldn't manage it. Only through yoga have I figured out how breathing works for me. I'm trying to use it more and more of the time (building in this awareness is quite hard).
I shut my mouth and breathe through my nose, and expand my chest (put your hands on the sides of your ribcage and breathe to push them out), imagining I'm opening up the area round my heart and completely filling out my chest and upper abdomen. Then I completely empty and release.
I time this rhythmically with normal activities. Because it's matched rhythmically with movement, I can breathe deeply and evenly without having to fully focus on breathing as it flows naturally.
--> when walking anywhere, I take four steps to an inhalation and four to an exhalation (or 3 or 6 if I'm walking slowly or quickly)
--> doing any repetitive task at work, I time the movements with breaths (e.g. inhale: stick point into tag and then into seam of clothing, exhale: double click gun, remove point and tear off tag; repeat ad infinitum), making me faster, more focused, and calmer
--> I try to bend and move in time with breath (if I lower myself down or release, I exhale, and if I lift myself up or expand, I inhale)
The more I control my breath like this, the more things seem to flow and I remain calm and mindful. Controlling it seems to help control much harder things to manage - emotions, heartrate, etc. :D
--- End quote ---
Heidi, this is really interesting!
I’ve had anxiety-related breathing problems since towards the end of Year 7, and it’s like I can never get that deep, satisfying breath, only occasionally. Is this what it’s like for you?
It’s been much worse for me as of late, and I think I’d like to give some breathing exercises a go. Do you have any resources that might help?
I’m really glad to hear its working for you, and I’m enjoying reading your updates! :)
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version